Folding umbrella.



J. T. MANNING. FOLDING UMBRELLA. APPLICATION rum) mac. 9, 190a.

Patented 0ct.26,1909.

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JOHN T. MANNING, or CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

EoLDING UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 9, 1908.

Patented Oct.- 26," 1909.

Serial No. 466,583.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. MANNING, a citizen of "the United States, residing at Chelsea, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an- Improvement in Folding Umbrellas, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like numerals on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to folding umbrellas of that class wherein the ribs are jointed so that the two parts thereof can be folded back onto each other in order to permit the umbrella to be folded into .a' small compact bundle.

Folding umbrellas are usually made with some form of locking device for locking the two sections of the rib in line with each other when the umbrella is open, and most folding umbrellas are so constructed that the operation of unlocking the ribs to permit the umbrellas to be folded involves some special or peculiar manipulation of the urnbrella.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a folding umbrella of such a construction that it can be folded simply by partially opening the umbrella in the usual manner and then turning the umbrellabottom side up with. the point down. The partial opening movement of the umbrella unlocks the joint of therib so that when the umbrella is turned bottom side up the outer sections of the ribs may fall over by gravity and fold against the inner sections thereof.

The invention will be more fully hereinafter described and the novel features thereof will then'be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a view of a part of an umbrella embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged edge view of the jointed portion of the rib; Fig. is a side view of Fig. 2, showing the position of theflparts when the umbrella is closed; Fig. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with a part'broken out between the lines wm, Fig. 2, showing the position of the parts when the joint is unlocked; Fig. 5 shows the position of the parts during the operation of folding the umbrella; Fig. 6 is a section on the line y-y, Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a side view ofthe joint showing the position of the parts when the umbrella is open; Fig- 8 is a similar view showing how the umbrella may be unfolded even though the stretcher becomes misplaced.

The umbrella as a whole comp-rises the usual stem or handle 3 on which is mounted the runner 4, the stretchers 5 pivoted to the runner and to the ribs, the cover 6, and the ribs which are made in two sections 7 and 8 that are jointed together. These parts may be of any suitable or usual construction,

with the exception of the joint by which the parts 7 and 8 of the ribs are connected together. The section 7 of each rib has at its end a head 9 to which the section 8 of the rib is pivoted. This head is herein shown as formed with the twowings 10 connected by the bridge portion 11. Each wing is provided with a slot 12 in which is received a pin 13 carried by the end of the stretcher 5, this construction providing a sliding" pivotal connection between the rib and the stretcher.

The end of each section 8 is received between the wings 10 and is pivoted therebetween by means of a pivotal pin 14:. The end of the section 8 is extended beyond the pivot to form a nose 15 which cooperates with the the stretcher occupies a position shown in Fig. 3 with the pin 13 toward the lower end of the slot 12; WVhen the stretcher is in this position it engages the inner face 16 of the nose and prevents the section 8 from folding outwardly, or in the direction of the arrow (1, Fig.

The stretcher 5 may have any suitable construction at its outer end, but I prefer to make it with the two arms 17 that overlie the outer sides of the wings 10 and support the pivotal pin 13 and with the center locking rib 18 which stands between the two wings 10 and forms the portion of the stretcher that engages the surface 16 of the nose 15. As stated above, when the umbrella is closed with the runner drawn down the stem 3 toward the handle end thereof, the pin 18 occupies the lower end of the slot 12 and the rib 18 is'brought into engagement with the nose 15 at a point beyond the pivotl'thereof thereby locking the rib from being folded.

WVhen the umbrella is in this condition it can be carried as an ordinary umbrella without any danger of the ribs folding.

The operation of folding the umbrella involves first pushing the runner up the stem 3 to partially open the umbrella, during which operation the pin 13 is carried to the upper end of'the slot 12, as shown in Fig. 4, and the stretcher 5 is swung away from the nose 15 so that when the umbrella is turned bottom side up with the point down, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer sections 8 of the ribs may fold of themselves down against the outer sides of the sections 7, the sections 8 moving in thedirection shown by the arrow I), Fig. 5, during this folding operation. After the outer sections 8 of the umbrella ribs have been folded, the runner may then be slid up the stem 3 until it engages the inner ends of the rib sections 7 as shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, when said rib sections may be folded down against the stem. The stem 3 is made in sections in some usual manner so that it can be taken apart into short lengths. When thus folded, the umbrella occupies a space only as long as the longest section of the umbrella rib and can be easily packed in a suit case or hand bag.

When it is desired to unfold the umbrella the sections of the stem are connected together and the umbrella is turned with the point upwardly and the runner is then drawn down the stem toward the handle end thereof, thus bringing the ribs into the posi tion shown in Fig. 3, and during this opera- T tion the outer ends 8 of the ribs will unfold themselves by gravity and without any particular manipulation on the part of the person operating the umbrella.

The umbrella can be opened and closed in the usual way without regard to the jointed ribs. In opening the umbrella for use from its closed position it is merely necessary to slide the runner up the stem as is done with the ordinary umbrella. During this oper ation, the stretchers are first carried from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the-position shown in Fig. 4, and as the umbrella is opened the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 7. The upper end of the slot 12 is provided with a notch 20 into which the pin 13 enters while the umbrella is being opened. This notch is deep enough to retain the pin therein after the umbrella is completely opened, as shown in Fig. 7. Although the sections 8 of the ribs are not locked in their straightened position by the stretcher when the umbrella is completely opened, yet the umbrella cannot be folded when in this condition because the tension of the edge of the covering 6 is suflicient to hold the sections 8 of the ribs in their proper position.

In case the pins 13 of the stretchers should work into the lower end of the slots 12 when the umbrella is folded, the unfolding of the vention is very simple and that the folding and unfolding of the umbrella requires no special or peculiar manipulation of the parts.

My improved umbrella is so constructed that when it is closed it takes up no more room than an ordinary umbrella, this being so because the joints of the ribs are so constructed that they do not prevent the ribs closing tightly againstthe stem.

While I have shown herein the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-.

ters Patent is 1. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a rib comprising two sections jointed together, one section having a slot, of a stretcher provided with a pin slidable in the slot, the other section of the rib having a nose which is engagedby the end of the stretcher when it is at one end of the slot whereby the rib is locked in its straightened position, and is disengaged by said stretcher when the pin is at the other end of the slot whereby the rib is unlocked so that it can be folded. V l

2. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a rib comprising two sectionsjointed together, of a stretcher secured directly to and having a sliding pivotal connection with one section of the rib and means co6perating with said stretcher to lock the two sec tions of the rib in alinement or to unlock said sections to permit the rib to be folded according to the position of the stretcher relative to said section of the rib.

V 3. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a rib comprising two sections pivoted together to have a swinging movement relative to each other, of a stretcher secured directly to and having a sliding pivotal connection withthe inner section of the rib and means cooperating with said stretcher to lock the two sections of the rib in alinement with each other or to unlock said sections of the rib to permit'it to be folded according to the postion of the stretcher relative to said inner section of the rib. j

4-. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a rib comprising two sections pivoted together, one section having a slot provided with a notch at one end, of a stretcher provided with a pin slidable in said slot and adapted to enter said notch, the other section of the rib having a nose adapted-t0 engage ing through said slot and provided with a rib received between the wings and adapted when at one end of the slot to engage said 15 nose thereby to lock the sections of the ribs in alinelnent.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN T. MANNING.

Witnesses: I

Louis C. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

